The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 46
Marks first time ever that U.S. and Canadian governments co-invest in development of North American critical mineral projects. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) are investing a combined $12 million into establishing a vertically integrated critical minerals supply chain in Canada that includes a mine at Fortune Minerals Ltd.'s NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper project in Northwest Territories and associated hydrometallurgical refinery in... Full story
Preliminary feasibility study envisions production of 2.5 million ounces of gold at Courageous Lake. Amid the recent surge of interest in mining lithium and rare earth elements, some companies exploring the Northwest Territories remain focused on gold. Seabridge Gold Inc., for example, is revisiting its long-held Courageous Lake Gold Project more than a decade after shelving an initial mineral resource estimate and preliminary economic assessment of the venture in 2012....
Routine flight turns tragedy as six reported dead after crash; authorities, Rio Tinto seek to determine cause. A routine trip on a small Jetstream aircraft on its way to Rio Tinto's Diavik diamond mine turned to tragedy when the flight crashed shortly after takeoff near Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. "We have been informed by authorities that a plane on its way to our Diavik mine, carrying a number of our people, crashed near Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada,... Full story
Shifting its immediate focus to potentially more lucrative opportunities in the lithium mining sector, Rover Metals Corp. reported plans Dec. 11 to put its Cabin Lake gold project in Northwest Territories up for sale after nearly five years of exploration. The 400-hectare (988 acres) Cabin Lake project is located about 110 kilometers (69 miles) northwest of Yellowknife, the territory's capital, and 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the community of Behchokǫ̀. Rover M...
Shenghe acquires ore stockpile that symbolized a shift away from China for REEs critical to North America's green energy and high-tech sectors. High-grade ore dug up from a small open pit at Vital Metal Ltd.'s Nechalacho project in the summer of 2021 marked the start of Canada's first rare earth elements mine and the first link in an REE supply chain that was envisioned to be completely independent of China. "The combination of our efforts clearly work together towards the...
Vital Metals turns to Chinese firm to fund Nechalacho, home to first REE mine in Canada. Drifting further away from the original vision of establishing a rare earths supply chain in Canada that would help to break the West's heavy reliance on China for this suite of tech elements, Vital Metals Ltd. has turned to Shenghe Resources Holding Co., Ltd. for funding that will allow the Australia-based REE mining company to move forward with its plans for a larger mine at its...
Over the course of two short years, Vital Metals Ltd. has fallen from a visionary mining company pioneering a first-ever rare earth supply chain in Canada to a delisted Australian firm struggling to reclaim some of its former glory at the Nechalacho rare earths mine in Northwest Territories. Vital Metals reached a pinnacle when its Canadian subsidiary Cheetah Resource Corp. began mining ore from the high-grade North T deposit at Nechalacho during the summer of 2021, forging...
Blaze could reach NWT capital by weekend, 20,000 residents leave; one mining camp burned, wildfires disrupt entire mining sector. The already severe fire conditions across the Great Slave Lake region of Northwest Territories has taken a turn for the worse, prompting Canadian officials to order the 20,000 residents of Yellowknife to evacuate the territorial capital. Northwest Territories Minister of Environment and Climate Change Shane Thompson said "the fire burning west of...
Investigates Cali lithium project in western NWT; to resume drilling at Yellowknife once the smoke clears. Despite the need to evacuate its Hidden Lake exploration camp due to the extreme wildfire situation in and around the Northwest Territories capital of Yellowknife, Li-FT Power Ltd. has had a productive year of lithium exploration in the territory and plans to build on this success as soon as it is safe to do so. Before the mid-August decision to move its people,...
Rio Tinto to build largest solar plant in Canada's North at diamond mine. Signaling its commitment to clean renewable energy, mining powerhouse Rio Tinto announced its intention to construct the largest solar power plant in Canada's North at its Diavik Diamond Mine – more than 6,600 solar panels that are expected to provide up to 25% of the electricity needed at this iconic operation in Northwest Territories. "I am delighted that we will be significantly increasing our renewab...
Potentially rich deposits of lithium in the terrain near Yellowknife, the capital of Northwest Territories, has spurred a small stampede of mining companies to Canada's north this summer as worldwide demand for the critical mineral accelerates. At least seven companies have reported exploration programs underway this field season on lithium projects near Yellowknife. Lithium is an important mineral for green energy technologies, and net-zero emissions will require greater...
Assays from the first five holes of Li-FT Power Ltd.'s inaugural drill program at Yellowknife Lithium have begun to confirm what is apparent on the surface, this project east of Northwest Territories' capital city is home to globally significant quantities of lithium-rich pegmatites. With the world demanding enormous quantities of lithium for electric vehicle batteries, Li-FT amassed a 141,572-hectare (349,832 acres) land package covering some of the most prospective targets...
With its treasury full and a definitive exploration agreement with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Li-FT Power Ltd. has launched a 45,000-meter drill program aimed at unlocking the obvious but underexplored potential of the large pegmatites – igneous rocks with exceptionally large crystals that are the major global source of the lithium mineral spodumene – spanning its Yellowknife Lithium project in Northwest Territories. "We are thrilled to have started the drill pro...
Rio Tinto reflects on extraordinary people, spirit and innovation behind Far North Canada diamond mine. Rio Tinto celebrates the extraordinary people, award-winning innovation, and pioneering spirit behind the 20 years of producing brilliant diamonds at the Diavik Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories. Discovered during the great Canadian diamond rush in the 1990s, Diavik began commercially producing diamonds in 2003. Over the ensuing two decades, Diavik has produced over...
Osisko Metals Inc. has finalized a joint-venture agreement with one of the world's leading mining and metals investment advisors that could propel its Pine Point project in Northwest Territories into becoming one of the top-10 zinc-lead producing mines in the world. Inked in late February, the estimated C$100 million deal with Appian Capital Advisory LLP, a unit of Appian Natural Resources Fund III LP, won speedy approval from Osisko Metals' shareholders in mid-March....
Agrees to $136M deal to acquire full ownership of Northern Canada diamond mine. Toward its goal of building a balanced portfolio of the world's best diamond projects in favorable jurisdictions, Australia-based Burgundy Diamond Mines has agreed to pay US$136 million (A$209 million) to acquire full ownership of Arctic Canadian Diamond Company Ltd.'s world-class Ekati Diamond Mine and other interests in Canada's Northwest Territories. "This is an exciting and transformational...
Lured partly by proximity to infrastructure in Yellowknife, several companies moved in January to advance exploration in mineral-rich Northwest Territories. The explorers include seasoned diamond and now rare earths hunter North Arrow Minerals Inc., NWT newcomer Gama Explorations Inc., and ambitious junior Gold Terra Resource Corp. North Arrow Jan. 30 reported acquiring a 100% ownership interest in the DeStaffany lithium property from NWT project generator Parnac Resources...
In a move that helps provide a tangible link between the rare earth elements produced in Northwest Territories and the green technologies they enable, Cheetah Resources is sponsoring an electric vehicle rideshare cooperative in the NWT capital of Yellowknife. The YK Car Share Co-op allows members to rent an EV charged with the predominantly hydroelectricity that feeds the power grid in Yellowknife for $10 per hour. "Electric vehicles and car sharing reduces the environmental...
Following an AU$45 million (US$31.6 million) infusion of cash in July, Vital Metals Ltd. has gone through some significant changes that are being reflected in a new strategy that slows the ramp-up of production at the company's rare earths separation plant in Saskatchewan and focuses the company's resources on expanding production at its Nechalacho Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories. Shortly following this financing anchored by AU$30 million (US$21 million) contributed by...
Li-FT Power Ltd., a relatively new junior exploration company led by a team with a track record of discovering and financing mineral projects, has acquired an exciting hardrock lithium project that covers most of the Yellowknife Pegmatite Province in Northwest Territories. The Yellowknife lithium project covers at least 14 pegmatites – igneous rocks with exceptionally large crystals that are the major source of hardrock lithium worldwide – on mineral leases that are 30 kil... Full story
On the heels of its successful Macmillan Pass zinc-lead exploration play in eastern Yukon Territory, Fireweed Metals Corp. is making a bid to expand its project portfolio in what may be an astute move. Studying the region's geology, the junior jumped territorial boundaries to stake nearly 129 square kilometers (50 square miles) of lapsed claims covering all historic showings and anomalies of the historical Gayna River zinc-lead-gallium-germanium project in Northwest...
Strong diamond prices are helping Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. overcome higher diesel costs, a slower-than-expected post-COVID ramp up of operations, and a primary crusher bearing failure during the first quarter at the Gahcho Kué diamond mine in Northwest Territories. During the second quarter of 2022, Gahcho Kué produced 1.26 million carats of diamonds, which is a 6% improvement over the first quarter but down 29% from the second quarter of 2021. This sharp decrease compa...
Though the 2022 field season is scarcely underway, Vital Metals Ltd., Canada's first rare earths producer, is already eyeing a second banner year at its Nechalacho REE mining operation in Northwest Territories – with recent progress in virtually every aspect of the Australia-based company's Canadian project, from exploration to marketing. Vital's offtake partner, Norway-based REEtec AS, signed a purchase agreement in April to supply rare metals for magnets used in electric m...
Fireweed Zinc Ltd. has agreed to buy the Mactung tungsten project from the Northwest Territories government for C$15 million (US$11.8 million), an acquisition that further expands the company's growing portfolio of critical mineral assets. Mactung lies within the traditional territories of the Kaska Dena and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, as well as the Sahtu Dene and Métis land claims settlement area of western Northwest Territories. This critical metal property s...
As final assays of its productive 2021 exploration program roll in, Gold Terra Resource Corp. is working on a plan to boost the 1.2-million-ounce inferred resource of its Yellowknife City Gold Project substantially by drilling in new areas and proving up historic resources in and around the capital city of Northwest Territories. The YCG project lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometers (43 miles) of strike length along the main...
